By NNN-APP,
London : President Asif Ali Zardari in a interview with the leading British daily “The Financial Times” has warned against escalating tensions between Pakistan and India and said any confrontation would be disastrous for the war on terror as this would sap his nation’s effort against militants on its Afghan border.
“The architects of this calamity in Mumbai have managed to raise a threat on our other (eastern) border. As we have these people (militants) on the run along our western border (with Afghanistan), our attention is being diverted at this critical time,” said President Zardari in a telephone interview from Islamabad.
According to the paper, Pakistan is worried that suspected foreign involvement in the terror attacks on Mumbai will lead to a sharp deterioration of relations with India. Deepening hostility between the two adversaries could lead Pakistan to defend its border with India more heavily.
While noting the two nuclear-armed states have fought three wars, it said the ushering in of Mr Zardari’s government had held promise of an easing of tensions and an acceleration of confidence-building measures to secure a lasting peace.
The paper further said a war on two fronts would put great strain on Mr Zardari’s democratic government, which is trying to rescue the country from near bankruptcy while also resisting a terror threat.
Pakistan’s president warned that provocation by rogue “non-state actors” posed the danger of a return to war between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
“Even if the militants are linked to Lashkar-I-tayyaba, who do you think we are fighting?” asked Mr Zardari, whose country is battling al-Qaeda and Taliban militants on its border with Afghanistan.
“We live in troubled times where non-state actors have taken us to war before, whether it is the case of those who perpetrated [the] 9/11 [attacks on the US] or contributed to the escalation of the situation in Iraq, said Mr Zardari.
“Now, events in Mumbai tell us that there are ongoing efforts to carry out copycat attacks by militants. We must all stand together to fight out this menace.”